Before Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee, He climbed a mountain to be alone with His Father in prayer. He left the demands of the crowd at sunset and prayed until dawn. Prayer can often feel like an uphill climb. We can be unsure of how to start praying or how to pray without bringing a large list of all our requests. And if we wait until we feel like praying, we’ll never pray consistently. It’s a discipline. The more we pray the more we then want to pray, and the more rewarding it becomes. Jesus knew He had to walk away from life’s demands and distractions, in order to connect with God in prayer. In Mark 1 it says ‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed’ (Mark 1:35 NIV). So before we get caught up in all the business of the day, we need to spend some time alone in prayer. That time praying is time where we can find stability, a clear view and some perspective. There we’re reminded that there’s nothing we’ll face in the day that He hasn’t already handled, and He’ll help us handle things too. It’s easy to recognise people who’ve spent that time in prayer. Their struggles are no different from ours - some are even more challenging. But they’ve got an inner peace that is there no matter what they’re facing. And we can have that peace too, when we choose to spend time connecting with God in prayer.

What now?
If you don’t already, make a bit of time first thing each morning to commit the day ahead to God. Tell Him about things you’re looking forward to and/or things you’re dreading. Listen to what He wants you to achieve that day.